daily news and photography about cacti and succulents and some carnivorous plants too

Sonoran Desert Scenes

No, I’m not posting any scenes from the Sonoran Desert, for crying out loud. I live in California – we post scenes of the Mojave Desert, and sometimes the Great Basin.

It’s the Seattle PI telling you how to make your own little Sonoran Desert scene in a pot.

Don’t let the lack of eaves stop you from enjoying the Sonora at your home. Start with a low bowl-shaped container. Make sure there are plenty of drainage holes and fill the container with cactus soil (available at most garden centers). Now for the real fun: Shop for cactuses, agaves and other succulents at your favorite quality nursery or indoor plant store. The contrasting forms, textures and colors of the desert plants will provide lots of variety to play with. Create a realistic desert landscape look by adding rugged colorful stones between the planted succulents…. Display your desert container in a protected, out-of-the-way, full-sun location where visitors can enjoy it without having to get uncomfortably close to the prickly plants.

Man, that’s some stupid advice. “Create a realistic desert landscape”! Most people aren’t designers and can’t do it. If the instructions aren’t paint-by-numbers quality, they’ll fail. They want your help, Seattle PI, and you’re not helping.